US Sanctions Individuals and Charities for Funding Hamas

The United States Treasury Department unveiled sanctions against three individuals and two France-based charities for allegedly running a multi-year financing architecture that funneled more than $2m to Hamas. Alongside the Treasury actions, the Department of Justice unsealed an indictment and announced federal arrests in Louisiana and Florida, with arrests in France.

The Treasury Department stated that all property and interests in property within the United States belonging to the sanctioned individuals and entities are blocked and must be reported to the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). The actions target what officials described as deceptive charitable fronts and cryptocurrency channels designed to sustain the militant group’s operations.

Saleem Alzaq Indicted and Association Baraka and Ensemble C Mieux Sanctioned

The Treasury Department named Saleem Alzaq, based in Gaza, alongside Faouzi Barika and Amel Oualid, both residents of France, as the targets of the financial penalties. According to Treasury officials, Barika and Oualid operated two French charities—Association Baraka and Ensemble C Mieux—ostensibly to raise money for humanitarian purposes to aid Gazan civilians.

Investigators alleged that the network collected more than $2m for Hamas over a six-year period beginning in 2020. Of that total, officials stated that $1.5m was raised following Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

In a parallel federal action, the U.S. Justice Department unsealed an indictment charging Alzaq with conspiring to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. The 45-year-old is described by prosecutors as a Hamas member, a battalion deputy in the group’s armed wing, and a participant in a Gaza-based propaganda office where he posted material on social media.

Federal Arrests in Louisiana and Florida Target U.S. Fundraising Network

Federal law enforcement agents arrested three men inside the United States as part of the same investigative sweep. Omar Adhami and Abdel Adhami, both residents of the New Orleans suburb of Covington, Louisiana, along with Raed Yousef of the Tampa suburb of Lutz, Florida, were taken into custody.

According to statements from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana, the Adhamis and Yousef are accused of contributing tens of thousands of dollars to Hamas and conspiring to funnel money to the organization. Prosecutors stated the defendants face charges including conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization and conspiracy to commit money laundering. If convicted, they face up to 80 years in prison.

Simultaneously, French authorities executed three additional arrests of associates linked to the same financing plot, according to federal prosecutors.

Official Statements From the Treasury, Department of Justice, and FBI

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent emphasized the department’s ongoing focus on financial networks supporting militant organizations. “Terrorist organizations like Hamas rely on sophisticated financial facilitators and fraudulent schemes designed to exploit the public to sustain their operations,” Bessent said in a public statement. “Treasury will continue to identify, isolate, and impose consequences on those who provide Hamas with the financial lifelines it needs to survive.”

Attorney General Todd Blanche warned that federal prosecution awaits anyone who finances or assists terrorist groups. FBI Director Kash Patel reiterated the bureau’s focus on disrupting financial pipelines, stating that the agency will never forget the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel and will continue its efforts to cut off funding to Hamas.